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The Transylvania Twist album in digital form is available at https://tmaxdoverecords.bandcamp.com/album/transylvania-twist “Vat ever happened to my Transylvania Twist?” The age-old question is finally addressed. Tito’s new album, Transylvania Twist includes original songs about Classic Horror Monsters of the 1930s – sung in a doo-wop style! Transylvania Twist is full of life, energy and fun tunes about Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein, King Kong and Godzilla. Dracula is also included – he sings … Read More >>

ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS Big Road Vizztone Records 10 tracks Erin Harpe has a great voice that teases, purrs, preaches and snarls; and her finger picking guitar style, more Lightning Hopkins than B.B. King, is creatively consistent and makes her band’s rural country sound unique and very listenable. Five of the songs are cool covers and the other five are band originals with Erin composing three of them. “Kokomo” by Mississippi Fred McDowell, “Frankie” and “Casey Jones” by … Read More >>

JOHNNY ANGEL WENDELL Smut and Politics 5 tracks Johnny has always been a super songwriter. Starting with his days as a garage punk pioneer in The Blackjacks and The Swinging Erudites to his more recent incarnation as a left coast parent. His social observations, playfulness, biting and opinionated lyrics attached to hook-laden melodies have kept him relevant and, when compared to the mediocre music released today, the heart, soul and conscience of an older but wiser generation. “Size” is a … Read More >>

WILLY MASON So Long Baby Shoes 6 tracks Willy Mason is a singer-songwiter from Martha’s Vineyard. He plays with a full band sometimes but its just him on this record. I lived on the Vineyard for a while, so I am always weary of acoustic solo stuff from the musical hell that gave us James Taylor and Carly Simon. I am happy to say that Willy Mason destroys that archetype and hopefully creates a new one. The opening lines on … Read More >>

VARIOUS ARTISTS Loving the Aliens A Lowbudget Tribute To David Bowie 29 tracks This two disc release is an intriguing collection of songs with varied influences of punk, new wave, metal, jazz, orchestra and gospel. They all share an avante streak of uniqueness as the common denominator on all the cuts. Most of the tunes are unrecognizable for the first few measures until all of a sudden the known hook emerges and you smile at the off the track appeal of … Read More >>

If you are based in New England and would like your CD reviewed, send it to T Max/ The Noise, 40R Highland Ave #219, Salem, MA 01970 … DAMN TALL BUILDINGS birnCORE Good Enough! 6 tracks I do surely enough have a bona-fide weakness for well-executed traditional mountain music and other such archaic tunes, call it by whatever silly marketing label like Guerilla Roots you like. The instrumental accompaniment on the opener, “Roll[in’] in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” are like … Read More >>

THE SUITCASE JUNKET Signature Sounds Recordings Pile Driver 12 tracks This one-man band is an example of outsider art, what with the poetic lyrics, and found objects used as instrumentation and percussion, and the lo-fi recording technology, and the eccentric vocal technique. “Jackie” deconstructs rockabilly; “Evangeline” has a bizarre Creedence vibe. The appealing “Seed Your Dreams” is evocative of guitar-driven hokum jazz; the excellent “Busted Gut” is a letter-perfect classic folk blues; the fascinating “Beta Star” is like some long-lost … Read More >>

Send your CDs for review to: T Max/ The Noise, 40R Highland Ave, #219 Salem, MA 01970 … DAYTIME DRUGS Eastern Prawn Records Waitin’ for the UFO 6 tracks Where was this recorded? Inside of a gurgling culvert? With a taxicab mike? On the surface of the fucking moon? This makes “Green Fuz” sound like the Philadelphia Orchestra rocking Mahler’s Third Symphony. It makes the New York Dolls sound like Sgt. Pepper. And I love it. Just like I love … Read More >>